Gone
by JustAnotherAthenaGirl
Summary: Everything was going great. Gaea had been defeated, most of his friends had survived to graduate from camp, and Annabeth Chase was moving in with him. Percy was on cloud nine and didn't feel like coming down any time soon. Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Percy Jackson series. Rick Riordan does.**

* * *

She was everything to me.

She was the reason I got up every morning at the break of dawn, because I knew she would be waiting to start our morning run.

She was the one who I wanted to tell all my secrets to, even the dark ones.

She was the one who pushed me to work my hardest to be the best I could be.

She was the one who thought she could change the world, and made me believe it too.

She was the reason I didn't perish in the River Styx.

She was my reason to keep going.

She was my best friend.

She was the love of my pathetic life.

She was the greatest person I would ever know, and now she was gone.

* * *

For the past few years, Percy life had been going pretty well. Once they had graduated from Camp Half-Blood a few summers back, Percy got the courage to ask Annabeth to move in with him. She said yes, but only if he let her choose the apartment building. Laughing at the request, half because it was so like her and half because he was still shaking from asking the question, Percy picked her up and told her that was no problem. Now that the good news had finally hit him, he threw her over his shoulder and ran towards the water, ignoring all her oppositions.

"So help me sea-weed brain, if you don't put me down this instant I will..." Her threats were drowned out by the roar of their friends as they watched Percy head toward the lake, Annabeth in tow.

"You go Percy, show that girl who's boss!" Travis Stoll shouted, earning him a deathly glare from Annabeth and a scolding from an appalled daughter of Demeter.

"Travis Stoll! Do you realize how sexist that is?! You are the most misogynistic, unsympathetic, jerk I have ever met! How does anyone put up with you? I can't..." Travis kissed Katie to shut her up and it definitely worked. The two had been going out for 2 months now, but you would never know that just by looking at them.

Finally they reached the lake and Percy jumped in with Annabeth in his arms. Despite all the protesting she had done earlier, Annabeth didn't seem all that upset with being all alone with Percy in their little bubble.

Leaning in towards her, Percy asked, "So you really want to move in with me?"

"Of course I do sea-weed brain. Who else would put up with your shenanigans like I do?" Annabeth said as she moved in closer, a smile playing across her lips.

Percy couldn't wait any longer. He closed the gap causing his lips to meet hers for a moment of utter bliss. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Everything was finally coming together. Travis and Katie were finally together, most of his friends had survived to graduate from camp, and Annabeth Chase was moving in with him. Percy was on cloud nine and didn't feel like coming down any time soon.

Unfortunately, the peace would not last long. It was a gusty October morning, when Percy and Annabeth went out to meet with their friends from camp for a Halloween party, demi-god style.

So far, the past few years had been going pretty smoothly, aside from the two hellhound attacks and one visit from a not so happy harpy. Besides that though, Percy had been having a great year. He had just started his last year of college and was about to earn his degree in Marine Biology at NYU and Annabeth was practically a shoo-in for valedictorian for her class at Columbia University.

Once they got to Travis and Katie's apartment, everyone else was already there. Glancing around the room, Percy noticed that Clarisse and Chris were playing pool in the corner of the room with Connor and Lou Ellen, and judging by the pile of money next to her, Lou Ellen was kicking their butts. In the kitchen, Travis was attempting to sneak a lick from Katie's Halloween brownie bowl, but stopped dead in his tracks after one stern look from Katie. Everyone else was either dancing, talking, or just chilling. Everything was how it always was when they all got together and everyone was happy with that. What they didn't know was that it'd be the last time things would ever be like they always were.

After the party had been going on for about an hour, they started running low on alcohol and candy, two things twenty-one year old demi-gods couldn't live without.

Everyone was starting to get antsy without the two essentials, so Annabeth and Percy volunteered to go out and buy some more. You would've thought they'd just offered to save the world again, that's how relieved everyone was. They headed outside, got in the car, and started down towards the nearest liquor store and gas station.

"Can you believe it, Percy?" Annabeth asked all of a sudden, causing Percy to jump a little.

So far, the ride had been pretty quiet, but Percy was used to that. Annabeth was always getting lost in her own head, which is why Percy was so startled when he heard her voice.

"Believe what?" he replied, not quite sure what she was referring to.

"That this is it. This is the last year that we will be considered students. After this we will be on our own, starting to experience the world without classrooms or seminars. It all seems a bit impossible."

"Yeah, it is kind of incomprehensible, but then again it's also exciting. We get to start the next journey of our lives together and I can't wait for that." Percy said trying to picture their life a year from now.

After a minute of silence, Annabeth said, "I love you seaweed brain."

"I love you too wise girl" Percy smiled and leaned sideways to kiss her, the light seeming to glow behind her as if she was an angel. It was too late that Percy realized what was happening.

The car was sent flying as a dull yellow taxi came barreling towards them. When Percy had turned to kiss Annabeth, he hadn't seen his green light turn yellow and kept driving. They ended up on the sidewalk, upside down, and the only thing Percy saw before blacking out was an unconscious Annabeth with a huge shard of glass stuck in her chest.

* * *

He remembered waking up in the hospital and being told what happened. He remembered feeling horrible when he heard how worried his family and friends were. But most of all, he remembered the feeling of utter despair and sorrow when he heard those life-changing words.

"We're terribly sorry Mr. Jackson, but your girlfriend didn't make it," The doctor said, sounding incredibly insincere, the immediately turned and left to check on some other patient.

They didn't know, they didn't understand, and to Percy, it seemed like they hardly cared.

She wasn't just his girlfriend. She was his absolute best friend. The one person he trusted completely and would tell anything and everything to.

She was the person who believed in him when no one else did.

She was the person who knew him better than he knew himself.

She was a person who believed she could change the world and made him believe it to.

She was his reason to keep going.

She was the love of his pathetic life.

She was the greatest person he would ever know.

She was everything to him, but to them she was just a person.

To them she was just dead.


End file.
